Before I could even finish my “In Memoriam” blog this year, we lost another celebrity – actress Brittany Murphy. The young actress died on December 20th after she was found unconscious in her bathroom. Her death was determined to be of natural causes, although the official cause of death has not yet been determined. Here are more celebrities that died in 2009:
June 23 – Ed McMahon (86)
The epitome of a great sidekick, McMahon sat alongside host Johnny Carson for 30 years. He also starred in “TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes,” “Star Search,” and served as Jerry Lewis’ co-host on the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon.
June 25 – Michael Jackson (50)
The King of Pop was on the verge of a comeback when he collapsed in his bedroom this past summer. The cause of death of Jackson, a prominent figure in pop culture for forty years, is still under investigation.
June 25 – Farrah Fawcett (62)
One of the original “Charlie’s Angels,” Fawcett fought a very public battle with anal cancer. Right before her death from the cancer, a documentary titled “Farrah’s Story” was seen by 9 million people at its premiere.
June 27 – Gale Storm (87)
The star of “My Little Margie” and “The Gale Storm Show” of the ‘50s, Storm died of natural causes.
June 28 – Billy Mays (50)
Mays was known for pitching all types of products on television. He died of hypertensive heart disease, although toxicology showed drugs as a contributory cause of death.
July 1 – Karl Malden (97)
Malden was known for roles in films such as A Streetcar Named Desire (for which he won an Oscar), On the Waterfront, and Patton. He also played Lt. Mike Stone on “The Streets of San Francisco” for five years. Malden died of natural causes.
July 4 – Steve McNair (36)
McNair was a quarterback who spent much of his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans, where he was the all-time leading passer. He died as a result of a gunshot wound.
July 17 – Walter Cronkite (92)
The beloved anchorman for the “CBS Evening News” for 19 years, Cronkite was once cited in a poll as “the most trusted man in America.” He died of cerebrovascular disease.